Community Organizes to Build Wheelchair Ramp for Neighbor’s Son

When Marcus, a teen from one Baltimore-area neighborhood was severely injured in a skateboarding accident, Nextdoor Founding Member and Lead Michael Kaspar didn’t hesitate: he immediately took to Nextdoor to organize the community to help.

What began as a simple desire to help a family in need turned into a several month long effort to make their lives better.

As Marcus recovered in the hospital while under a medically-induced coma, Michael began to rally the neighborhood for his eventual return home. Understandably, nothing was going to be the same – the family’s home needed to be updated with wheelchair-accessible ramps, doorways, and much more. Michael decided to tackle one of the first obstacles for the family: how to get Marcus into his own home.

Thankfully, he had Nextdoor. Michael posted asking his neighbors for help, outlining his project: to hand-build a wheelchair ramp up the front steps of Marcus’ home. Neighbors immediately began to volunteer money for supplies, food and hot drinks for the day of, and their time – all told, dozens of neighbors pitched in to help however they could.

Within one weekend, the neighborhood had completely transformed the front of the home, adding a brand new wheelchair ramp and fresh landscaping. Thanks to the community and Nextdoor, Marcus was able to easily return home from the hospital to continue his recovery.